Between The Lines
by Digitaldreamer
Summary: What starts out as a simple vacation for the Straw Hats takes a turn for the worse. Murder plots, family feuds, contests with the crew's lives on the line, mixed up emotions....why can't the Straw Hats ever just have a normal vacation? ZoLu, SanNa
1. Welcome to Kinzoku

**- Between The Lines-**

**A One Piece Fanfic by Digitaldreamer**

**Chapter One: Welcome to Kinzoku**

_Hello all! Long time no see, ne? It's been awhile since I posted a multichapter fic. I hope I'm not too rusty._

_Anyway, hello and welcome to my latest project, Between the Lines. I'm Digitaldreamer, and some of you may know me as the author behind Dominoes. For those of you fans returning from that, welcome back and I hope I can meet your expectations/ For those of you who are checking out my works for the first time, welcome! I hope you like what you see and you'll come back for more!_

_Right, so this fanfic is going to be drastically different from my usual work. Most of my multichaptered works are of the angst category, in fact to many I'm known only for being good in that category because that's all I write. I do enjoy writing in that genre, but I don't want to be known as "that emo ZoLu author who writes some pretty good torture scenes". I hope to at least be known for more than that...thus, I decided to try something new. ;_

_This fic is meant to feel sort of like something that would actually fit into the series. If it goes as planned, I'm hoping it'll have the feel of an arc in the anime or one of the movies. If it doesn't go as planned...well, I have no idea what monster I've unleashed. This is my first time attempting a fic of this sort, so I really hope it turns out alright. Critiques are greatly appreciated, since this is my first time at writing a fic that doesn't involve Luffy bleeding massive amounts of blood and/or having amnesia or something of that sort._

_The story will, hopefully, have a bit of everything. Mostly the main genres are action/adventure and romance, though there's likely to be a bit of everything else. Hopefully I'll be able to avoid as much angst as possible, but of course no fic of mine is complete if I'm not torturing some character so I can't promise anything._

_The pairings will be _**Zoro/Luffy **_and _**Sanji/Nami**_. Yes, that does mean there will be het, sorry all but I happen to like that pairing. If you don't, please don't whine about it, you can easily ignore it._

_I do believe that's all...man, I'm really nervous. Well, without furthur ado, let's get this show on the road!_

**Obligatory Disclaimer: Does anyone even ever read these? I mean, seriously, I highly doubt Eiichiro Oda is going to read my fic and sue me for using his characters, he's got a manga to draw. But if only to put my mind at ease, I do not own One Piece or any of it's characters. However, the plot, setting, and various characters are mine, so please do not steal without permission. Credit goes to Charlett for letting me use her idea for the island, and WishingForMyWings for unintentionally giving me the plot bunny. Cheers.**

---

Roronoa Zoro was a terrifying man. Or at least, that's probably what most would think of him. He did, after all, have a sixty million belli bounty on his head and was formerly known all throughout the world as a demon. Of course, if one had seen the swordsman in action they would definitely agree...for the few seconds they were still living, at any rate. His skill with his personal fighting style, Santouryuu, was legendary, and his notorious deeds as a bounty hunter and one of Straw Hat Pirates more legendary still.

Indeed, if you asked anyone, they would tell you Zoro was a terrible man...unless you asked anyone who actually _knew_ him. They'd probably tell you he was a lazy ass who did nothing but sleep all day and never help on the ship and only got up to lift damnably heavy weights while _certain people_ aboard the ship were trying to get their beauty sleep. And then another would agree and babble something about how "Nami-san is so wonderful when she's righteously bashing that idiot!"

Of course, they wouldn't _all _say that...but at the current moment, the green-haired swordsman was hardly doing anything to prove that particular claim wrong.

He was in fact, sleeping, propped with his back against the mast of the Going Merry. His swords were placed carefully next to him, one tanned, muscular arm casually draped around them. The warm afternoon sun shone upon him from the clear blue sky, gulls calling to each other in the air above. The waves beat rhymatically against the sides of the ship and for a very rare moment all seemed peaceful.

Then of course someone stood in front of him, effectively blocking out his sun. If the swordsman didn't notice that, he certainly noticed when he was suddenly poked several times in the forehead.

"Oi! Come on Zoro, wake up! Wake up! We're finally here!" Silence for a few seconds and a pause in the assault to his head. "Come on, wake up!" The poking continued with more force than before, making it rather difficult to ignore.

Zoro scowled as he cracked open one eye to glare up at his captain. "Here?" He repeated, brow furrowing under the finger still pressed against it.

Luffy simply beamed and nodded, the excitement clear in his eyes even with the shadow cast over them by the battered straw hat for which the crew was named. "Yeah, yeah! We're finally at the island Nami was talking about, remember?" He asked, clearly only just stopping himself from jumping up and down with excitement as he spoke.

The swordsman frowned. "You mean Kinzoku?" He asked, the name Nami had mentioned sounding strange on his tongue. She had been been talking about it at dinner the night before and Luffy had of course been thrilled, but he hadn't really been paying attention.

"Yeah, yeah, that one! Come on, we're finally here! Get up, get up! Oooh, wait 'til you see it!" Luffy babbled, his manner reminding Zoro quite a bit of a puppy excited about going on a walk.

Zoro sighed as he stood, stretching his arms above his head and cracking his neck. He never really cared much when they came to a new island, for him it was just a chance to maybe get some booze. But Luffy was always so excited, and he would be lying if he said seeing the boy happy didn't at least make him a bit happy in turn. Luffy just had that effect on him, something no one else could ever manage. "Alright, alright, I'm coming." He muttered, taking a few steps forward before pausing, his eyes widening. Just beyond the rather ordinary docks and some warehouses was...something he had definitely never seen before.

The buildings were _huge_! They towered above everything else with more stories than he had ever seen, looming high in the sky to invade the perfect blue with their many feet of shimmering, polished stone and metal. They were towering masterpieces of marble and glass, the windows gleaming in the afternoon sunlight. They dotted the skyline, filling the space with other tall buildings and many smaller ones as well could be seen just below the tree line. Every tree was green and full, and the hot sun made it rather clear that this place was a summer island.

"Isn't it awesome?" Luffy's very loud voice suddenly blared in Zoro's ear.

The swordsman let out a cry of surprise and jumped back a foot, covering his now aching ear. "Gah! Luffy, how many times have I told you to not yell in my ear like that?" He growled, fixing a glare at the younger teen.

Luffy apparently didn't hear him, as he had already latched onto Zoro's wrist and started dragging the swordsman towards the side of the ship. "Come on, hurry! I wanna go see what the rest of it looks like!"

"Gah! Luffy, hang on for a sec--" Zoro was cut off as the boy's sandaled foot caught on a piece rope that had been haphazardly put away, sending the boy reeling backwards with a yelp. Fortunately, as Zoro was right behind him, the swordsman easily caught the boy around the waist, Luffy's head falling back to be cushioned by his chest.

The two stayed like that for a moment, Luffy glancing up at Zoro and blinking, his lips pursed together in innocent confusion. Zoro gazed back, eyes widened a bit, feeling his cheeks heat up slightly from the close contact. Then his eyes narrowed. "I _told_ you to slow down." He chastised. "I swear, you're even more klutzy than usual, what's up with you?"

Luffy just giggled and beamed up at him. "Nee hee, sorry Zoro. I'll be more careful next time."

The swordsman rolled his eyes as he set the boy on his feet and stepped back, glancing away from the boy's face and trying to ignore the way everything seemed a good ten degrees warmer. "Whatever. Just--"

"Oi! Luffy, is Zoro dead up there or what?" Nami's voice came from the dock, sounding annoyed. Luffy cast a glance over the railing at the ginger-haired navigator, whom was tapping her foot impatiently. "Hurry up already!"

"Yeah, Marimo, get up and stop making Nami-san wait!" Sanji called from his place next to the girl where he was lighting a cigarette.

"We _do _need to get moving if we want to get there and see the city and still get back here by nightfall." Robin stated, though her sky-blue eyes twinkled with amusement as her raven-black hair blew in the breeze.

"Oh! I wanna see the city, I wanna see the city!" Chopper exclaimed excitedly.

"Are you sure, Chopper? That _is_ the home of the Three-horned Snargle Monster." Usopp warned. "I hear they really like the taste of venison..."

The reindeer let out a squeak of fear, his hooves shooting up to cover his mouth.

"But don't worry! I, the Great Captain Usopp-sama, happen to terrify them, so they won't come near you as long as I'm around!" The sharpshooter boasted

"Really? How come?" Chopper gasped, his eyes wide.

Usopp beamed. "Well--"

"Shut up, Usopp, you can lie to him later!" Nami snapped, effectively silencing the marksman. She turned back to Luffy, hands at her hips. "Well?"

Luffy let out a laugh as he looked down at the rest of his crew, the breeze blowing his black bangs out of his eyes. "Sorry! We're coming!" He called before looking back to Zoro and smiling. "Come on, let's go!"

Zoro, whom was just recovering from the sudden close contact and brooding over the sudden change in temperature, felt the tension melt away at the sight of that smile. He couldn't help it, Luffy just had that effect on him. And Luffy had a good reason to be excited...something told Zoro this island was going to be a lot different than the others...

"Yeah, let's go."

---

"Man, this place is packed!" Usopp exclaimed as they made their way through the city streets.

The marksman was indeed right, hundreds of people seemed to be wandering the streets. They were everywhere, men strolling along in crisp suits with their ties slightly loosened due to the heat, children gazing into shop windows with star-struck eyes, their eager faces pressed against the glass. Young women wandered aimlessly in little groups through the town, giggling in high-pitched voices and drawing Sanji's wandering eye.

"_Mellorine!" _He murmured happily as he gazed at their short skirts, beginning to unconsciously wander in that direction.

Nami rolled her eyes as she sort of tugged on Sanji's arm to keep him moving. "Well, what did you expect? Kinzoku is the technological capital of the Grand Line, all the latest and greatest stuff comes from here. Of course everyone comes to check it out."

"Is that why this place looks so different? I've never seen buildings like this before!" Luffy exclaimed as he gazed up at the towering buildings, his eyes wide with amazement.

The navigator nodded. "They're called skyscrapers, and this place is the only place in the world with the technology to make them. Someday they'll probably start making them on other big islands too."

"Ah, Nami-san is so smart!" Sanji cooed, but went ignored.

Zoro frowned, his eyes narrowing as he watched a young, thuggish-looking man walk past, a small snake coiled around his wrist. It was unlike any snake he had seen, however, given how instead of a head it seemed to have a gun barrel "I see that's not all that's original to this place." He murmured as his hand unconsciously went to rest on the hilts of his katana.

Robin blinked, glancing over at the man and his snake. Then she chuckled. "Oh, is this your first time seeing one of them, Swordsman-san?" She asked, eyes sparkling with mirth. "I'm surprised, they're quite common nowadays."

When she saw the confusion in Zoro's eyes she chuckled again. "It's a gun, but it ate a devil fruit." She explained.

"It _ate_ a devil fruit?" Zoro repeated, eyes widening. This was news to him.

Chopper's attention was finally torn from his awe-filled gaze at the city by this. He glanced up at Robin, blinking. "You mean like Mr.4's gun and how it ate a devil fruit that turned it into a dog?"

The dark-haired women smiled and nodded. "Yes, they now manufacture weapons that can eat devil fruit. They're really quite useful if you can get your hands on both. I believe this island is the place where they were invented, actually."

The reindeer's eyes widened. "Really?"

Zoro scowled. "Whatever. It's not that cool. It's not like it makes them any better than anything else. It's the warrior's skill that makes him what he is, not the weapons." He stated, giving the snake a final glare before it and it's owner vanished into the crowd. Something about it just seemed so...artificial. It bugged him.

Robin chuckled again. "You think so?"

The swordsman simply glared at her before stalking ahead of her with a grunt. Whether he was annoyed because of the weapons or because Robin had managed to fluster him again, Zoro wasn't entirely sure. All he knew was something about the whole thing was agitating him...both Robin and the damn weapons.

As Zoro stalked ahead he soon found himself sidling up next to Luffy, whom seemed so excited the swordsman made a point of keeping a few feet away in case he burst. However, instead of pulling ahead the swordsman decided to make a point of staying close. Someone had to make sure Luffy didn't run off in this crowd, after all. He quirked an eyebrow as he gazed down at the boy, whom hadn't quite noticed his presence yet.

"Oh my gosh that building! SUGOI! It's so neat! Oh, oh, those windows are so shiny! And-- Oh, that guy's selling _FOOD_!" Luffy gasped, his immediate rush to go get said food prevented only by the instinctive hold Zoro took on his collar.

"Heeeey, lemme go! I want food!" The boy whined, struggling against Zoro's grip.

Zoro shook his head, continuing to walk and dragging the boy behind him as he did so. "No way in hell are you running off in all this, we'd never find you." He growled. "In case you didn't notice, this place is _packed. _We'll come back and get some later, alright?"

"Awww, Zoro! No fair! I want food _now_!" Luffy pouted, his cheeks puffing up as he folded his arms defiantly.

The swordsman paused, quirking an eyebrow down at the boy. He then snorted, reaching down to press the straw hat down on Luffy's head and rub it back and forth, effectively messing up the hair beneath it. Luffy let out a cry and grabbed onto the hat to keep it steady, batting Zoro's arm away with his free hand as he did so. He glared up at Zoro, but he could only hold the expression for a moment before he burst into laughter.

After his giggles finally resolved, Luffy glanced around again. "Man, this place is so cool!" He declared. "Don't you think so?"

Without waiting for an answer, the boy grabbed Zoro's wrist and began to drag him along as he continued to gasp at all the "cool things". He would "ooh" and "ah" appreciatively at everything, occasionally stopping to point at something particularly interesting and insist Zoro look at it. Said swordsman was trying to look annoyed with the turn of events, but for the most part he just followed along with a bemused expression. He couldn't be annoyed with Luffy for long, it just never worked.

"Gee, they sure do have a lot of decorations up!" Luffy commented. He was quite right, streamers were stretched from building to building, as well as line after line of star-shaped, multicolored lights. Great, shining banners with stars on them waved in the breeze, and here and there one could see the statue of a tall young woman clad in an elaborate kimono.

"Hm, yeah." Zoro murmured, not really paying attention.

"I wonder what they're all for celebrating? I sure hope we'll be here for it!" The boy chirped. Zoro simply shrugged in reply, though Luffy didn't really notice as he continued to amble along.

A little bit behind the two, Nami was gazing at all the shops. "Wow...look at those clothes! I guess this place has more than all the technological goodies...look, that shop says it's clothes came all the way from the South Blue!" She said as she stared at a particular shop, a slinky blue dress that appeared to be made of silk placed in the window. It was decorated with what appeared to be actual diamonds, giving the dress the appearance of a shimmering, starlit sky, and came with a gleaming, silvery-blue cloth meant to be draped over the shoulders. Basically, it was gorgeous.

"Wow...that must be worth fifty million at least...but it would look perfect on me! I'm definitely going to have to come back here once I get some cash..." The navigator murmured, belli signs flashing in her eyes.

"What do you think, Sanji-kun?" She asked, glancing to her side for the cook, whom would undoubtedly swoon. Unfortunately, she didn't get to see his expected reaction, as Sanji's eyes were currently cast in the complete opposite direction at a group of girls with particularly short skirts.

"Ahhh, so lovely..." The cook sighed, clasping his hands together below his chin.

Nami frowned, her eyes narrowing. She immediately reached out to grab Sanji's ear and tug him over to her, drawing a yelp of pain from the cook. The girls saw this and let out a collective giggle. "Ah!" Sanji hissed in pain before turning his gaze on Nami again, and his face automatically melted into a dreamy sort of smile. "Yes, Nami-san?"

The ginger-haired navigator smiled sweetly and gestured to the dress. "What do you think, Sanji-kun? Don't you think it would look perfect on me?"

The cook took but a single glance at the dress before letting out a sigh and turning back to Nami. "Ah, Nami-san is so lovely that she could make anything look good!" He swooned.

Nami rolled her eyes, but decided to be patient. "Yes, yes I know. But what about the dress?"

"I think it would suit your graceful figure perfectly, Nami-san!"

The navigator gazed at him for a moment. Sanji always said things like that...but was he actually being honest, or just saying it? "You're serious?" She asked, brow furrowing slightly.

Sanji glanced down at her, his smile widening. "But of course. Anything you wear looks perfect on you, because your beauty seems to bathe everything around you." He declared.

Nami stared up at him for another moment. "Honestly?" She pressed, a small frown tugging at her features,

The cook gazed down at her for a moment, cocking his head to the side, before inclining his head and reaching down to grasp her hand in both of his. "Nami-san, I would never lie to you. It truly would look lovely on you, and I speak this from the bottom of my heart." He stated, his singsong tone completely absent.

The navigator watched him for a few seconds, then smiled and turned away, tugging her hand from his grasp. "Good, just what I needed to hear. I'll definitely have to come back and get it, then." She said, continuing along and gazing at the shops. Indeed, this place definitely seemed loaded. Fitting for a girl like her...

Trailing just behind her and Sanji were Usopp and Chopper. Chopper was staring up at the buildings and the rest of the city with eyes wide with complete awe, a wide smile on his face. As the doctor was so young and had seen so little besides his small snow-covered home, he was often just as excited as Luffy was when it came to a new island. Since he was so young, the thought of curbing his excitement even a little bit never crossed his mind, so every new thing was met with starry-eyed glee from the reindeer. Usopp too seemed awestruck as he stared up at the towering skyscrapers, a wide grin of boyish excitement upon his face.

"Wow...this place is so big!" Chopper gasped as he walked along, nearly tripping over everything in his path since his head was craned so far back, much like Luffy far up ahead.

"Yeah...this is the kind of place even a giant would consider huge!" Usopp gasped.

"Giants?" Chopper repeated as his eyes were torn from the skyscrapers to Usopp.

The marksman blinked as he found Chopper's eyes suddenly on him. The long-nosed boy then quickly grasped for a lie. "Yeah, giants! Why, on my great travels on these seas I came to their villages many times! They're so big that one of their little huts would be a castle to us!" He declared, motioning with his hands to illustrate.

Chopper gasped. "Really?"

Usopp nodded sagely. "Mmm hmm. In fact, they were so big I got lost in one for forty days and forty nights before my eight thousand followers found me!"

"Wow!"

"Yup, it's pretty amazing that I, the Great Master of Navigation, Captain Usopp-sama, could get lost, but I did!" Usopp then paused as another building caught his eye. For once, he didn't really feel like telling stories. "But uh...that's a story for another day. See,_ these_ buildings are even bigger!" He exclaimed.

"Wow!" The doctor looked completely awestruck as he looked back to the buildings. Even taller than a giant...and Usopp had really met giants, so he knew! Talk about cool!

Robin let out a laugh from behind them."He's quite right, actually. Some of these might not be too tall to them, but quite a few of these would actually reach far over their head."

"Really?" Usopp asked, glancing back at Robin. "How would you know?"

The dark-haired woman gazed at him for a moment as she gave one of her mysterious smiles. "Oh, a... friend told me." She said after a moment with a nonchalant shrug, a hint of sadness barely visible in her sky blue gaze.

Chopper missed this, however, as he was still looking around. "Wow, look at that!" He suddenly cried, pointing up ahead. Right at the center of the city stood a skyscraper that towered above the others, going so high Chopper could only just barely see the red light flashing at the very top of it. It seemed to be made of either glass or some kind of crystal, as it shimmered in the sun like no other building did. At the top a pair of shining, blue crystal wings were sculpted, clearly meant to be some sort of symbol.

Usopp's jaw dropped as he craned his neck to stare up at the tower. "...Whoa..."

Robin smiled as she gazed up at it as well, the breeze blowing back her dark hair. "Ah, I believe that is the city's pride and joy. It's called the Celestial Tower, and it's the tallest man-made structure in the world to date. The wings are the crest of the Hatsudoki's."

"Wow...the tallest in the world!" Chopper gasped.

"The Hatsudoki's?" Usopp repeated, glancing from the tower to Robin, whom nodded.

"The Hatsudoki's are the creators of Hatsudoki inc., a company that has been around for generations. Hatsudoki inc. is the company that creates everything new that comes from this island. In fact, they're the ones that came up with the Den Den Mushi."

"They came up with those?" Usopp gasped, sounding amazed.

Robin nodded. "Yes, and many other things. This island is no monarchy, but the Hatsudoki's have a great hand in political affairs. It's because of them that this island is the way it is." She explained. "Without them this would just be a plain, ordinary island. But with them in charge, this is their empire, and it thrives because of them."

"Wow..." Usopp murmured as he gazed up at the tower. "Hey...how do you know all this, anyway?" He inquired.

The archaeologist simply shrugged and flashed one of her mysterious smiles once again before walking past Usopp. "You may want to get moving again, Long Nose-kun, Doctor-san, it seems the others are leaving without you!" She called over her shoulder.

The marksman blinked before glancing ahead of Robin. Sure enough, the Straw Hats were moving again. Usopp's eyes widened and he let out a cry before rushing after them, grabbing Chopper's antlers and dragging him along. "Oi, oi! Wait up!" He called, apparently deaf to Chopper's cries to release him.

He didn't have to run very far, however, before he crashed into Zoro's back. The marksmen let out a cry, bouncing back and grabbing at his now throbbing nose. He then flinched as Zoro turned and shot him a death glare, a low growl rumbling in the swordsman's throat. Usopp gave a sheepish grin and a tiny wave, which Zoro simply snorted at before turning back. The long-nosed boy gave a sigh of relief, he had been spared today.

Chopper had been about to yell at Usopp for dragging him, but he too had been cut off by Zoro's glare. The doctor paused, blinking, before glancing up at Usopp. "What's going on?" The marksmen shrugged, and then both wordlessly agreed it was safe to peer around Zoro to see.

There stood the rest of the crew in the street with Luffy in the middle of it, apparently having a conversation with a young woman in a maid's outfit and a man in a suit. The woman's short, light brown hair blew in the breeze, dimples appearing on her cheeks as she smiled. She had a warm, friendly air about her that was a complete contrast to the man's stern, strict one. His hair was a silvery blond and it was slicked back without a strand out of place, his face betraying no hint of emotion.

"- But please, sir, you and your crew must come! The master has requested your presence, it's not very often that he can take time off of work. You simply must come!" The girl in the maid's outfit was saying, her hands clasped beneath her chin as she spoke.

Nami shook her head, her arms folded before her. "No way. The head of the company that pretty much runs this place wants to invite us all personally to his mansion? _Us_? It's way too suspicious. We're not going."

"Nami-san is so wonderful when she's being forceful!" Sanji crooned.

Luffy pouted. "Awww, but Nami, they sound so cool and they offered _food_ and--"

"She's right, Luffy." Zoro admitted somewhat grudgingly as he fixed a glare upon the girl. "You really expect us to believe that you're inviting a pirate crew to a mansion? What kind of idiots do you take us for? Why not just try to take us out here and get it over with instead of playing this idiotic attempt at a trap?"

The girl swallowed, clearly terrified under Zoro's gaze, but she held her ground. "P-please! It's no trap! The master truly wishes to invite you all as guests! I-I even brought the summons and everything." She said.

"Yeah Zoro, look! We're really invited!" Luffy said, waving a now slightly crumpled paper with silver writing in the air.

"Wait, we got invited to the Hatsudoki mansion?" Usopp finally spoke up.

Luffy grinned and nodded. "Yup! It says we're invited by some guy named Shigeru Hatsudoki or something like that! He says he wants us to stay at his big mansion and this lady says we can play there and eat all the food we want!"

"Really?" Chopper gasped, his eyes wide. "I wanna go, I wanna go!"

"Me too! It sounds like a once in a lifetime chance!" Usopp cried, all his bravado forgotten in this moment.

"See! They want to go too! Come on Nami, let's go! Please?" Luffy pleaded, clasping his fingers together below his chin and giving Nami the puppy dog eyes.

Unfortunately, while such an act would have worked quite well on Zoro, it didn't have anywhere near the same effect on the ginger-haired navigator. She responded by pulling back her fist and decking him across the head. "We aren't going! It's obviously a trap!" She snarled.

Luffy whimpered, clutched at the sizable lump now throbbing on his head. "But Nami--"

"No buts!"

The girl in the maid's outfit winced, biting her lip. "Please! The master is a really big fan of yours and he honestly means no harm, he just wants to meet you! Please, you simply must come!" She pleaded.

Sanji looked a bit unsure at this as he glanced from Nami to the girl, whom seemed to nearly be on the verge of tears. A women should never have to cry...

"Give it a rest, Chihiro." The man in the suit finally spoke up, glaring down his nose at the Straw Hats.

The brown-haired girl, or rather, Chihiro, glanced up at the man. "But...but, sempai--"

"Clearly these riff-raff do not understand the opportunity of being in the presence of one of the richest men in the world. If they choose to turn down such an offer they aren't worthy of being in Hatsudoki-sama's presence." The man drawled, turning away. "Come along, we must be going."

"But sempai--"

Once again, Chihiro was cut off, but this time it was by Nami's face suddenly being mere inches from hers. "Did he say...one of the _richest men in the world_?" Nami asked, a cat-like gleam in her eyes.

The girl gulped and nodded, shivering. _S-scary... _"Y-yes, the Hatsudoki's are one of the wealthiest families in the world."

Nami let out a squeal. "Well why didn't you _say _so?" She asked, throwing her arms up into the air as if she were going to hug Chihiro. The maid yelped, moving out of the way as the navigator turned to the rest of the crew. "What are we waiting for guys? It's rude to turn down an invitation, after all!"

Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper all cheered as one, then promptly began a strange sort of dance they called the "We're going to a mansion!" dance. Sanji, meanwhile, was doing his usual number, "Nami-san is so wonderful when she's suddenly completely changed her mind!"

Zoro's jaw dropped, his eyes widening. "B-but...but..." He sputtered. "It's so..."

"Suspicious? Perhaps. Though maybe not for the reasons you're thinking." Robin commented from beside him, amusement in her eyes. The swordsman spun around to glare at her.

"What the hell are you talking about?" He growled.

"Oh, nothing. Still, no matter what they do...you're going to protect him, aren't you?" The dark-haired woman spoke as she walked past him. Zoro stared after her, unsure of what to say to that as he watched the Straw Hats begin to follow an ecstatic Chihiro and less-than-thrilled "sempai" to the mansion.

The swordsman scowled as he began to trail behind, one hand going to his swords. The others may have trusted that women, but he still didn't. Even so, compared to that suspicion this was definitely worse, something was seriously up with this whole mess. He may not have been sure what was exactly wrong, but whatever it was, it wasn't touching his captain. Not if he could help it.

---

"Woooow!" Luffy gasped as he stepped through the doorway into the Hatsudoki mansion. "It's huge!"

He was right, the mansion was huge. It had taken them several minutes just to tromp through the main courtyard, which was decorated with exquisite statues and fountains. The cobblestone path, lined with exotic flowers and trees, lead up to the house itself, which was several stories high and the color of gleaming pearl. Two great, winged stone lions guarded the main entryway, which had been sculpted to make it look as if vines were entwined around it and arced above their heads as they passed beneath it.

The room which they were greeted with was huge, with great stone column's holding the roof high above their heads, an expensive-looking chandelier hanging from it. The walls were hung with portraits of men and women who were probably the Hatsudoki's ancestors. These paintings went from very recent to quite far back, it was clear the family had been there for quite some time. The floor beneath them all was crafted out of gleaming marble of all colors, the stone arranged to depict great sapphire-colored wings.

The crew gazed at this all with expressions ranging from amazement to awe to shock. Finally after a few moments of silence Chopper spoke up. "Wow."

"Yeah." Usopp agreed, nodding his head dumbly as he stared at the shining double staircase that wrapped around half the room.

"This guy's definitely loaded." Sanji commented, letting out a low whistle of appreciation.

"Well, he is one of the richest men alive." Robin stated as she glanced around.

"This is so cool!" Luffy exclaimed giddily, while Zoro merely took in all in with naught but a raised eyebrow. Nami could only manage a squeak of happiness, belli-signs in her eyes.

"I'm glad to see my home is to your liking, Straw Hats." A voice came from up at the top of the stairs, drawing seven sets of eyes in that direction. There stood a man seemingly in his thirties, his short-cut black hair streaked with strands of gray here and there. He was clad in a black suit that seemed to pay homage to a Marine Admirals coat, with golden shoulder pads and tassels dangling from them. He wore a gold band diagonally across his chest as well to match with the golden buttons of his jacket.

Next to him stood a woman whom seemed close to his age, her dark brown hair pulled back in an elegant upsweep to reveal her slender neck and the sapphire jewels that adorned it. Her dress, which seemed quite a bit like a kimono, seemed to be made of pure silk and was decorated with a design of indigo butterflies fluttering across a star lit night sky. Her arm was entwined with the mans as she stood there, smiling down at the Straw Hats warmly, her dark brown eyes sparkling.

"Ah, I present to you Master and Mistress Hatsudoki." Chihiro spoke up from the foot of the stairs, then bowed and backed away as the couple began to descend.

Once they reached the bottom the man glanced at the crew, then gave a smile and inclined his head in greeting. "Good afternoon, I am Shigeru Hatsudoki, and this is my wife Nanasawa." The woman inclined her head, giving a soft-spoken "How do you do?"

Luffy was quick to break the atmosphere by suddenly rushing up to Shigeru, a bundle of barely contained excitement. "This place is really your house? That's so cool, mister!"

"Luffy! Show some respect!" Nami snapped, whacking the boy on the back of the head before turning to Shigeru and bowing. "Please excuse him, sir, he has no manners. But he's right, your house is absolutely lovely." She said, clasping her hands beneath her chin as she rose and gazed around once more.

Shigeru chuckled. "Yes, yes, this mansion has been in my family for generations. I am the current owner of the estate, and in time my children will be the ones to own it...oh my, I nearly forgot! Haku, would you mind getting them?" He asked, glancing over at the blond, whom nodded and immediately disappeared into a door.

Nanasawa sighed, shaking her head. "Forgot again, dear?" She asked teasingly.

"Ah, yes." Shigeru said, rubbing the back of his head as he turned back to the Strawhats. "You'll have to forgive me, I have a terrible memory. I figured my children would like to see you so I--"

"Cut to the chase. Why did you invite us?" Zoro suddenly spoke up as he glared up at Shigeru and Nanasawa, one hand resting on the hilts of his katana.

"Zoro, don't be rude!" Nami hissed through clenched teeth.

"Actually, Swordsman-san does ask a very interesting question. I too would like to know." Robin said as she tucked a lock of dark hair behind her ear. "It's not that we're not grateful, but we'd like to know _why _you've invited pirates like ourselves into your home. Especially considering our reputation and all, surely you understand."

"Oi, oi, guys! Don't go looking a gift horse in the mouth!" Usopp was saying, but Shigeru merely chuckled again.

"It's perfectly fine, I understand. I would be suspicious too, if I were in your position. Very well, let me explain. My son, Taichi, is a big fan of you all. We've heard of your deeds through word of mouth, and I must say even I am greatly impressed. I heard that your ship was spotted in port, and I decided as a surprise I'd invite his favorite pirate crew here." He explained.

"Wow, you're doing all that for your kid? You must be a great dad, Ossan!" Luffy said with a grin. The others all gave murmurs of agreement, save for Zoro, whom scowled. It sounded like complete bullshit to him.

Shigeru laughed, shaking his head. "Ah, you are all truly an amusing bunch. You needn't be so polite, I don't mind. I'm sure Miho and Taichi will love you...speaking of which, here they are!" He said as he gestured to the doors at bottom of the stairs, which opened.

A young boy no older than ten came rolling into the room on a wheelchair. His dark brown bangs hung in front of eyes of the same hue, which were a stark contrast to his pale, face. The moment his eyes set upon the Straw Hats they widened. "The Straw Hat pirates?" He asked. His voice was incredibly quiet, but the shock was evident in his tone.

Shigeru smiled and nodded. "That's right." He said before turning to the Straw Hats. "Say hello to my son, Taichi."

The Straw Hats all chorused their greetings, some more excited than others. Taichi gave a shy smile. "Wow...I can't believe this...so you're real pirates, then?"

Luffy glanced over towards Shigeru, whom nodded and seemed to be urging him forward. The rubber pirates face then burst into a wide grin and he bounded over to the boy. "You bet! We're pirates! We have a ship and a jolly roger with a skull and crossbones and everything! It's awesome!"

"Wow. That's amazing!" Taichi exclaimed, his eyes wide. "And you sail wherever you want?"

"Yup!" Usopp spoke up, clearly taking this as an opportune moment to show off. "Why, I, the Great Captain Usopp-sama, have been all over the world with my eight thousand followers!" He declared.

The boy frowned, raising an eyebrow. "_You_ have eight thousand followers?" He asked, sounding skeptical.

"Why, of course I do!" Usopp said with a huff. "They're just _really_ good at hiding."

"Wow...and you guys have a whole crew?" Taichi asked as he glanced at the rest of the Straw Hats. Luffy nodded.

"Yup! See? There's Nami, she's our navigator, and Sanji, he's our cook and he makes really yummy food! And Chopper right here is a doctor, he's the best! And I have an archaeologist, Robin over there, and a liar too!" Luffy said as he counted everyone off, pointing to each person as he mentioned them.

"Oi, I'm a _sniper_!" Usopp snapped, but went ignored.

Taichi stared at them dubiously for a moment before pointing at Chopper. "He's a doctor? But he's a deer!"

"I'M A REINDEER!" Chopper snarled as he suddenly grew to his big man form, causing Taichi to let out a small yelp and cover his head. Luffy just laughed and patted Chopper on the back.

"Yeah, he's our doctor! Isn't he cool? He's gonna be the best doctor in the whole world!"

Chopper blinked, then shrunk back to his regular form, blushing. "I-I...I...saying things like that doesn't make me happy, you asshole!" He cried, though he was dancing with glee. Taichi laughed at this, and the four of them were soon once again deep in conversation.

Taichi's parents watched him with proud smiles on their faces. "Isn't it great how well he gets along with them, sweetie?" Nanasawa spoke up, and Shigeru nodded in reply.

"That's kind of creepy how well they all get along..." Nami said as she stared at the four of them.

"Well, they _are_ all the same age...mentally, at any rate." Sanji muttered, a comment which Zoro snorted at in spite of himself.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that...he's certainly quiet for a ten-year old." Robin commented as she glanced to Shigeru and Nanasawa. "Has he always been like this?"

Nanasawa shook her head. "No, although this is an improvement from how it's been. He's been quiet ever since the accident that...well..." She trailed off as she gazed at her little boy in his wheelchair, sadness in her gaze. "When he was younger he was such a happy, energetic child, but after...that, all he ever does is stay up in his room with his inventions."

"Inventions?" Nami repeated.

Shigeru grinned and nodded. "Yes! My son is an amazing inventor, even better than my father was! He was the one who came with the idea for the devil-fruit eating weapons and gave us the earlier designs. He's also the one who designed our security system."

"Wow...that little kid did all that?" The navigator said, sounding impressed as she glanced back at the boy, whom was smiling and laughing at something Usopp had said.

"Yes...but that's all he's been doing as of late, lately he hardly comes out of his room. So to see him out here, talking and laughing...I'm so happy." Nanasawa said, tears of joy coming to her eyes. Shigeru smiled and wrapped an arm around her, mouthing a "thank you" over her head.

"Anyway, yes, that's Taichi, but where's-- aha, there she is! Miho, my darling!" Shigeru exclaimed, gesturing to the door once again.

There stood a girl who looked around the age of sixteen. Her perfectly straight black bangs hung into her eyes, while the rest reached to the middle of her back. Her tight black halter top and white skirt fit well to her thin, petite frame, though the cold scowl she wore did not. "Took you long enough to notice." She murmured under her breath, her midnight blue eyes narrowing.

Her parents apparently didn't hear her, however, as they both simply smiled. "Miho, sweetie, say hello to our guests. These are the Straw Hat pirates." Nanasawa said, gesturing to them.

Miho turned towards them, her eyebrows rising up in surprise. "Really? You invited _pirates_ here?" She said as she glanced around at their motley crew. She then snorted. "They don't really look like terrors of the seas to me."

She then let out a cry as she quite suddenly found her hand enclosed in another. She stared down at Sanji, whom had knelt before her and was planting a soft kiss upon her hand. "My lady, is is an honor." He drawled, his voice coming out low and smooth. "To simply lay eyes upon a beauty such as yourself, this trip has been worthwhile."

"Ah...ah..." Miho blinked, feeling a blush come to her cheeks. She apparently had no idea what to make of this. She carefully removed her hand from Sanji's, backing away. "Did my dad put you up to this?"

"No, of course not, my sweet!" Sanji exclaimed.

Miho frowned at him for another moment. However, she was shocked out of this as Nami suddenly sidled up by Sanji. "That's a really nice outfit, where'd you get it?" She asked, flashing a smile.

"Oh, this? It's custom made." Miho said, tugging a bit on the hem of her skirt.

"I see." Nami said as she walked around the girl, glancing up and down. "Are all of your things custom made?"

The dark-haired girl nodded. "Well, of course. Dad pays for it all."

"Really?" The navigator gasped. "Well, you're certainly lucky..."

Miho frowned, her gaze growing a bit distant. "I guess..."

Nami blinked at her. "Well, what could be more lucky than that?"

"Nami-san is right. Your father is certainly kind to dote on you so, not that a lovely lady like you doesn't deserve it." Sanji said.

Mino snorted. "Kind? My father? He hardly pays attention to us! He wouldn't even notice if one of his own children were planning to murder him!" She exclaimed in a huff.

Nami quirked a brow at this. "Wow, that's pretty extreme."

"It's true." Miho scowled.

The ginger-haired girl laughed, shaking her head. "I wasn't saying it wasn't! Here, let's get back on subject, about those clothes..." The two continued chatting, with Sanji occasionally interjecting comments here and there as he had no idea what they were talking about. Women were so mysterious!

Robin watched all this transpire with a wry smile before turning back to Shigeru and Nanasawa. "Well, it seems they're all getting along fine." She commented loftily.

Nanasawa smiled. "Oh, I'm so glad. The children have seemed so depressed as of late...I'm so happy to see they're finally acting a bit like themselves again!" She said with a smile. "You've all truly worked a miracle, we'll have to repay you all somehow."

Robin chuckled. "Oh, I'm sure one of them will think of something..." She said, trailing off as she watched the evil gleam in Nami's eyes at Miho's mention of her wealth. The dark-haired woman chuckled again, shaking her head. "Truly a strange bunch..."

Nanasawa laughed as well, but Shigeru was silent as he stared intently at Robin. Finally after a few seconds he spoke up. "This may seem strange...but have we met before?"

The archaeologist looked at Shigeru for a moment, sky blue eyes meeting midnight. "...No, I don't believe we have." Robin finally said with a smile, though there was a touch of sadness to the expression, like the first raindrop on a cloudy day.

Shigeru frowned as he gazed at her for a moment before shrugging and smiling again. "Ah, sorry. I swear it feels like we've met before, but it must've just been my imagination." He said with a chuckle.

Robin chuckled as well. "Life is...strange that way, isn't it?"

The Straw Hats and the Hatsudoki family continued to talk for quite some time, the shadows cast by the windows slowly lengthening as the day wore on and the Straw Hats were invited into the dining room to share some snacks. Taichi seemed completely thrilled to be in the presence of real pirates, and Nami and Sanji seemed to be enjoying themselves talking to Miho. Meanwhile, Robin was listening to stories about the island from Shigeru and Nanasawa, and seemed quite interested. Zoro was the only one not having a good time, and this was mainly because he was determined not to because the entire thing still seemed so suspicious to him.

Only when the skylights were filled with the amber glow of sunset did Haku make himself known at the doorway. "Excuse me sir, but it is time for Master Taichi to take his medication." He said, effectively interrupting everyone's conversations.

"Awwww, does that mean Taichi has to go?" Luffy whined. "No fair, we were having fun!"

"Yeah, I was just about to tell him the story of how I escaped the island of cannibalistic midgets!" Usopp exclaimed. Chopper let out a whine, clearly disappointed.

Taichi looked to Haku, his eyes sad. "Is it really time already, Haku-san?"

Haku nodded solemnly. "I'm afraid so. Come along, Taichi."

The boy let out a sigh before looking to the Straw Hat crew. "I'm sorry, it was nice to meet you all. Thank you very much for coming." He said, bowing his head.

"Oi, why are you acting like this is goodbye?" Luffy exclaimed.

Taichi looked up at them, blinking in confusion. "But, I--"

"Yeah, seriously! We'll see each other again! After all, I still gotta tell you the story about the midgets!" Usopp said with a grin.

Chopper beamed and nodded. "Yeah, yeah!"

Taichi stared at them for a moment. Then he smiled. "Alright. I'll see you all later then." He said, giving a wave. Then Haku wordlessly took the handles of his wheelchair and wheeled the child away.

"Well, we should probably be heading back too." Nami said, glancing at the clock. "Even now we won't get back to the ship until nightfall."

"We're leaving already?" Luffy asked, eyes wide.

Robin frowned. "Navigator-san is right, we do need to get back to the ship."

"Awwwwwwww, but I don't wanna leave!" Luffy whined, folding his arms and giving a childish pout.

"Yeah, me either!" Usopp piped up. "I like it here!"

Chopper nodded in agreement, his eyes shining with excitement. "Yeah, yeah! It's so cool!"

Sanji too, seemed a bit reluctant to leave. He glanced towards Miho, whom also looked a bit sad. "Well...it would be a shame for you to all leave already...not that I enjoy having you all here or anything." The teen said shyly, tucking a strand of black hair behind her ear.

Zoro rolled his eyes and stood up from the spot where he'd been leaning against the wall (he had chosen not to take a seat when the Hatsudoki's offered), stretching his arms above his head. "Yeah, yeah, I know it's cool but Nami said we need to get going, so let's get out of here." Normally Zoro could care less what Nami said, but if it meant getting out of the mansion he was all for it. He had been just fine with this island until the Hatsudoki's entered the picture, and he was perfectly happy to have them leave it.

He began to head for the door, glancing over his shoulder for everyone. "Come on."

"Zoro! You don't have to be like that! They were nice to us and you aren't even gonna say goodbye?" Usopp exclaimed. "How rude!"

"Rude!" Chopper chimed in, jumping up and down, apparently missing the fact that he and Usopp's loudness could be considered rude as well.

The swordsman scowled. "Fine, whatever. It was nice meeting you all, but we've gotta get going. Come on." He repeated before heading for the door again.

"Oh, please, don't leave!" Nanasawa pleaded, standing up as if she were about to try and stop them. However, when all eyes turned on her, she flushed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound so insistent. But it's a very long walk back to port...wouldn't it be easier to just stay the night here?"

Zoro frowned, turning back. He didn't like where this was going.

"Ah, yes Nanasawa, that's a wonderful idea! Actually, I have the perfect plan!" Shigeru said, clapping his hands together. "A Log Post takes a week to set here. Why not just stay here for the week?"

"Stay here?" Luffy repeated, a wide smile coming to his face. "You mean that? Really?"

"Why yes, of course! We do owe you for what you've done for our children, and this afternoon has been most enjoyable...so why not spend the week here? You can come and go whenever you please, and you'll have access to everything in the house!"

"_Everything_ in the house?" Nami repeated, belli signs flashing in her eyes.

Nanasawa nodded, a smile coming to her face. "Yes, yes! Consider it payment, you can enjoy a week of luxury here on the island! It would be the perfect vacation, wouldn't you say? Especially with this week being the Festival of the Celestial Maiden and all."

"Festival?" Luffy repeated, his grin widening even more. "You mean like a party!"

Shigeru smiled. "Yes, something like that. We have a week-long festival to celebrate the summer that we have every year on this island. It's a time for everyone to kick back and relax. People throw all sorts of parties and there are all sorts of events like parades, contests, and dances! There's no better time to visit, and you all have arrived on the day before the opening ceremony!"

"_Sugoi!_" Luffy gasped, stars appearing in his eyes. "A week long festival! Awesome, awesome!"

"It sounds like so much fun! I've never been to a week-long festival before!" Chopper exclaimed, jumping up and down.

"Yeah, it sounds great! I definitely want to go!" Usopp declared.

"And festivals always have lots of lovely girls!" Sanji said in a singsong tone, which drew a look of disgust from Zoro.

Nami grinned. "And of course, there's always lots of sales for this sort of thing..."

"It does seem like a lot of fun." Robin agreed. "What's your opinion, Swordsman-san?"

Zoro glanced from one crewmate's excited face to the next. Then he gave a sigh of defeat, hanging his head. "No matter what I say, it's not going to change anything, is it?" He muttered.

Luffy threw back his head and laughed, whacking the swordsman hard on the back. "Well, there you have it Ossan! We're staying for the festival!"The other Straw Hats all gave cheers at this, their voices so loud they echoed through the entire mansion.

Shigeru chuckled, a smile coming to his face. "I'm glad. Chihiro here will show you to your rooms, I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time!"

The girl in the maid outfit stepped out at the sound of her name, beaming. "You're all staying? Perfect! Come right this way, I'll show you to your rooms!" She called, gesturing for them to all follow up the stairs.

And so the Straw Hat crew did just that, following Chihiro and chattering away. Each of them seemed excited over this "vacation" for varying reasons, but regardless they could all agree on one thing; This was going to be fun! Or rather, everyone could agree but Zoro, whom was trailing a bit behind the rest.

The others may have trusted easily, but Zoro did not. Shigeru may have said they were only there as guests, but the swordsman had a feeling in his gut that this was not entirely the case. And if there was one thing Zoro had learned on his adventures, it was to trust his gut. Sure, he would enjoy the festival, but that didn't mean he would be dropping his guard.

There was something more to this whole situation than met the eye, and Zoro was going to find out what.

---

**To Be Continued...**

_Phew, that was long. Geez, and it was only the first chapter...admittedly, there was little to no action, but it sets the stage and introduces us to our key players, and that's what's important. I know this fic doesn't seem like much now, but at least try to give it a chance, okay?_

_Please **review**, I need to know people are interested in this._


	2. The Festival

**-Between The Lines-**

**A One Piece Fanfic by Digitaldreamer**

**Chapter Two: The Festival**

**----**

_Man, certainly took me awhile to update this, ne? I'm terribly sorry, the first scene is a whole lot of exposition and it was hell to try to write. Well, that and watching the most awesome anime series ever, Gankutsuou, may have had something to do with it. Seriously, Gankutsuou is the best anime ever, if you can make sure to check it out._

_Well...this certainly got more of a positive response than I expected. I expected everyone to hate it and to only get reviews from, die-hard fans...glad to see I was wrong, I saw a many reviews from people I've never seen before! Thank you all very much; I hope this fic will be able to meet all your expectations!_

_Oh, also guys, I've got some news! I made a ZoLu C2, Captain and First Mate! It's an archive for all well-written ZoLu fics out there, not necessarily the best, but the good ones, at any rate. So if you have any nominations, feel free to PM me with them!_

_Also, TreeStar and I are running a ZoLu forum here on So if you like ZoLu, feel free to pop by and start a discussion!_

_Er...right. Well, I hope this chapter came out okay! It was my first time writing some SaNa, and my first time in awhile writing ZoLu. I hope I did an okay job. I really hope everyone's IC! (Definitely not panicking about that, nosiree...)_

_Right, on to the chapter!_

_---_

After spending the night at the Hatsudoki mansion, the Straw Hats all gathered in the dining room for breakfast. Of course, the change in scenery did not stop the meal from turning into what it always was on the ship, an affair of chaos that should have been considered illegal at such an hour. Food seemed to fly everywhere as Luffy inhaled everything in sight, his arms stretching this way and that to snatch things directly from others plates. This resulted in an argument with Usopp that was rather one-sided given that the rubber pirate's mouth was too full of food to properly argue.

Of course then Chopper somehow got involved and the two were yelling at Luffy, whom was as oblivious to them as they seemed to be of Nami yelling at them, as well as Sanji yelling at them for "disturbing Nami-san and Robin-chan's meals"! Zoro went on eating, pausing only to cast a glare that promised much pain whenever Luffy's fingers strayed in the direction of his plate. Robin simply watched with a bemused smile on her face, sipping her coffee.

The servants watched all this with expressions ranging from awed to disgusted, while Shigeru and Nanasawa simply ate as if this were a perfectly normal, everyday occurrence at their table. Taichi was staring at the pirates, his jaw slack and food untouched. Miho, however, was the one to finally speak up.

"Does he...always do that?" She asked, nodding to Luffy and wrinkling her nose in disgust.

Nami rolled her eyes. "Every meal."

Miho made a face. "Gross."

"You have no idea." The navigator muttered as she sipped her orange juice.

Shigeru chuckled. "It's no problem, we don't mind." He said, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he smiled.

Nanasawa nodded. "Indeed, we haven't had guests this lively in a long time." She agreed. "It's nice to have company. I do hope you're all enjoying yourselves?"

"You bet!" Usopp said with a grin.

"This place is so cool!" Chopper agreed, his eyes shining in amazement.

Robin inclined her head. "Doctor-san is right, you have a lovely home."

Nami nodded and smiled. "She's right. Thank you very much for letting us stay here."

Nanasawa flashed a warm smile. "Oh, it's no trouble at all. If there's anything we can do to make your stay better don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you, but I think we're fine for now." The navigator said sweetly. "Although later I just might have to take you up on your offer." She added, making the master and mistress chuckle again.

"Nami-san, you seem to be running out of orange juice, please allow me to refill your glass." Sanji spoke up, the ice cubes in the pitcher of orange juice sloshing as he held it up.

The ginger-haired girl glanced down at her empty glass for a moment, then smiled and held out her glass. "Why, thank you Sanji-kun." She said in a syrupy sweet tone as the chef filled her glass.

"Ahhh, Nami-san is so lovely!" The cook swooned as Nami brought the glass to her lips and sipped, her small words of gratitude apparently enough to send him into a fit of ecstasy.

Taichi wrinkled his nose as he watched this. Geez, he thought pirates would be different, but it looked like _all_ adults acted stupid and lovey-dovey at some point. He gnawed on a piece of bacon, brow furrowing as he grumbled. "Yeah well, it's not like she's the Celestial Maiden or anything."

"Oi, watch what you say about Nami-san!" Sanji snapped.

"The Celestial Maiden?" Nami repeated, ignoring the apparent insult.

Shigeru blinked. "Ahh, that's right. You're not familiar with the legend, are you?"

"Legend?" Luffy repeated through a mouthful of pancakes, his eyes widening as his attention was finally torn from the food in favor of something else interesting. "What legend?"

"Why, the Legend of the Celestial Maiden, of course."

"Oohh, sounds cool! What's it about?" Chopper gasped, eyes wide.

"Well, from the title I think it's rather obvious that it's about the Celestial Maiden." Zoro pointed out dryly, but went ignored.

Nanasawa smiled, threading her fingers gracefully before her. "Well, they say that a long time ago, when this island was just a small village, a young woman descended from the heavens to bathe in our hot springs. While she was bathing, a young man spotted her. Realizing what she was, he stole her Celestial Robes, as without them the maiden could not return to heaven. When she discovered her robes were missing, the Celestial Maiden despaired. The man who stole her robes came to her aid and took her to stay with him, pretending to know nothing of her robes. He introduced her to his friends and family, as well as his best friend, another young man by the name of Hatsudoki. The maiden was sad to not be able to return to her home, but she had no choice but to stay."

"Many years passed. Hatsudoki and the Celestial Maiden eventually fell in love and even went on to raise a family. The two were very happy together, but Hatsudoki's friend, the one who had stolen the robes, was jealous. He told his friend about the Maiden's origins and her missing robes. Hatsudoki was shocked, but he loved her so much that he decided to go and search for the robes so she could return home. The maiden did not want him to leave, but he insisted that he do this for her. The Maiden, in turn, promised that she would watch over his home until he returned, and bless it with prosperity and success."

"And so he left, never knowing that his friend had hidden the Celestial Maiden's robes for all those years. He never returned, and to this day it is said that the Celestial Maiden is still waiting for him." Nanasawa finally trailed off into silence, letting this sink in.

After a few moments of silence, Chopper finally spoke, his eyes wide with amazement. "Wow...so she's still waiting here on the island for him? She never got her robes back?"

Nanasawa shook her head. "No. Some say that is why this island is so prosperous, because of her blessing. That is why every year we hold a festival in her honor, to celebrate what her blessing has done for this island."

Miho snorted. "That's just a fairy tale. Everyone knows the only real reason for the festival is to give all the work-a-holics on this island a break."

"It's not just a fairy tale, it's real!" Taichi snapped. "Our names are even in the story, that's proof enough!"

"Children, don't fight." Nanasawa admonished calmly, but went mostly ignored.

"Well, for a fairy tale that's certainly a strange coincidence, having your name in it and all." Zoro said, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, our name does go very far back." Nanasawa pointed out.

"I think it's cool!" Luffy declared with a laugh, "We know people from a fairy tale, how cool is that?"

"You really think so?" Taichi asked, looking to them with wide, hopeful eyes.

Usopp beamed and nodded. "You bet! Don't you agree Chopper?" He asked, nudging the reindeer and starting him out of his thoughts.

"Huh?"

"Don't you think it's cool that we know people from a fairy tale?" Usopp asked.

"O-oh, yeah!" Chopper said with a quick nod, though he seemed distant. _That poor lady...to have to wait all that time..._

Shigeru chuckled, shaking his head. "Some believe the legend, some do not. Regardless, it is what we base the festival off of, as well as the contests the festival is centered around at the beginning."

"Contests?" Luffy repeated, perking up. "What kind of contests?"

"Oh, they vary from year to year. All sorts of people from all over the island enter; it's a lot of fun." Shigeru said with a grin.

"Are there prizes?" Nami asked, eyes glinting.

Shigeru chuckled. "Well, sort of. You see, in the legend it's said that the man who stole the Celestial Maiden's robes broke them into three pieces and he sold them across the globe after her husband passed away. Thus, we have our three gems that represent the celestial robes, and a contest held for each piece. If someone gets all three, it is said that the Celestial Maiden will grant them a wish before finally returning to heaven and reuniting with her beloved. Of course, no one's ever won all three contests so-"

"So if we get these three gems, the Celestial Maiden can finally go home?" Chopper interrupted, his eyes wide.

"Well, that's what they say. But like I said, no one's ever--"

"I'm gonna win them!" The doctor declared, determination etched across his face. "I'm gonna win them and then give them to that lady so she can finally go back to heaven!"

"Yeah, me too!" Luffy cheered.

"You can't _both_ win, idiots." Zoro pointed out.

The boy pouted. "So? I wanna help anyway! It sounds like fun!

"Y-yeah, I wanna help too!" Usopp cheered. "As long as these contests aren't _too_ dangerous." He added under his breath.

"Actually, this does sound like this might be fun." Zoro admitted grudgingly. "I wouldn't mind giving it a go either."

"You sure you want to say that before you know what the contests are, Marimo?" Sanji sneered. "Not that it matters, I'll cream you at whatever it is anyway."

The swordsman snorted. "You wish."

"And just think of how much those gems might be worth..." Nami murmured. She then paused as Chopper glared at her. "Um..not that I planned on selling them or anything, haha..."

"Well then, Mr.Hatsudoki, it looks like you've got the entire crew already excited over your little games." Robin said with a light laugh, turning to the older man.

"Looks that way." Shigeru chuckled. "I certainly hope you'll all be able to relax enough to enjoy the opening ceremonies."

"Opening ceremonies?" Nami repeated.

"Well, yes. The festivities should just be starting downtown actually, and the ceremony to kick off the actual festival should be in a few hours..."

"Festivities as in?" Usopp perked up, a grin on his face.

"Oh, you know, the carnival. Rides, games, food, things like that." Miho said offhandedly.

"A carnival?" Luffy repeated, eyes widening. He jumped to his feet, the few scraps that remained of breakfast forgotten. "I wanna go! I wanna go!" He declared, jumping up and down.

"Me too!" Chopper squealed, his eyes sparkling. "I've never been to a carnival!"

"They'll have cotton candy!" Luffy cheered.

"You've never been to a carnival, Chopper!" Usopp gasped. "Then boy, are you in for a treat! You'll love it!"

"Funnel cakes!"

"All the fun rides and the games-- which I'm excellent at, by the way, being the Great Captain Usopp-sama!"

"Hot dogs!"

"Really? Oooh, have you won lots of prizes?"

"Caramel apples!"

"You bet! I once cleaned a carnival completely out of all their prizes because I won so much! They called me 'The Great Usopp-sama, Master of Carnival Games!'"

"So yummy!"

"WOW!"

The rest of the crew watched the three youngest members babble excitedly, all three of them practically bouncing up and down with excitement...or in Luffy's case, actually doing it. Finally after a few moments of silence Nami spoke up.

"So...I take it we're going?"

"Ah." Zoro agreed.

"Think maybe someone should stop them before they hurt themselves?"

"Ah." The swordsman shrugged.

"It sounds so cool! I wanna go too!" Taichi cheered excitedly. "Can I come with you guys?"

Luffy blinked down at the boy for a moment before beaming and nodding. "Sure!"

"As long as your parents say it's okay." Nami added.

"Mother? Can I go with them, please?" Taichi pleaded as he turned to his mother, clasping his fingers beneath his chin.

Before Nanasawa could answer, Haku stepped forward. "I'm afraid that's impossible, Master Taichi. All those crowds would be far too much stress for you."

Taichi pouted. "Aw, but Haku--"

"Even if it wasn't, you couldn't go, _remember_? You have an appointment with the doctor today." The man said firmly, his frigid gaze meeting the lad's.

Under Haku's gaze Taichi seemed to wilt, a huge weight seeming to settle on his shoulders as his smile faded slightly. "Oh...oh yeah, I forgot."

Nanasawa frowned. "Oh dear, that is a problem...but I'm afraid if Haku is right your health does come first, dear." She said, only absently noting Luffy's moan of disappointment in the background.

"Yeah...it's alright, I understand." Taichi murmured quietly. He turned to face the Straw Hats with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry I can't come, everyone. I'll try to see you all later, alright?"

"Awwww, alright." Luffy's shoulders slumped a bit before he smiled again. "But that means you've got to make sure you come with us tomorrow, alright?"

Taichi grinned. "Sure, I'd love to!"

Sanji turned to Miho, giving a small bow. "Would you care to join us, Miho-san?" He asked, raising a brow at her.

The dark-haired girl shook her head as she folded her arms before her. "No thanks. I've seen it all before, it's not like this whole thing is new to me or anything. Besides, I've got other things to do."

"Ah, what a shame. I suppose we shall see you all later then?" Robin asked.

Shigeru nodded. "Of course, we'll see you after the ceremony."

"You all have fun now!" Nanasawa said with a smile and a light wave. The Straw Hats all chorused their goodbyes, and with that they headed off into the city.

---

"SUGOI!" Luffy gasped, his eyes positively shining with amazement as he took in the sight of the town square.

"So cool!" Chopper agreed, jumping up and down as he tried to get a good look at everything.

They had a right to get excited, as the town square was indeed an amazing sight. A large assortment of brightly colored stands had been set up; some giving off inviting aromas while others had great big plushies hanging from them on display. The plushies were clearly meant as prizes for various games. The rides were placed among these stands, great hulking, spinning monsters of brightly colored steel that whirled their laughing riders through the air. Shimmering decorations set to the festivals theme were hung everywhere, leaving nothing but the great statue of the Celestial Maiden herself that was set at the center of the square untouched. At the far end of this a great stage was set up, which was presumably the place where the opening ceremony would be taking place.

"Food!" Luffy cheered, making as if to run for the nearest stand. Fortunately, Zoro managed to grab hold of the back of the boy's vest and hold him back.

"Oi, hold up for a second." He growled. "There's more people here than there were yesterday, we wouldn't see you again until the end of this thing if you ran off."

"FoodfoodfoodFOOD!" Luffy drooled, apparently missing Zoro's explanation completely as he struggled to reach the confections.

Zoro sighed, glancing back towards the rest of the crew. "Well?"

"I wanna go ride some of the rides!" Chopper squealed, his eyes wide.

"Yeah, me too!" Usopp cheered. Except then he actually _looked_ at the hulking, whirling machines of death. "Er...on second thought...Chopper, are you _sure_ you want to ride those things? They look pretty scary..."

Chopper stared up at the huge, spinning machines. He swallowed. "I...er...they do look scary..." He glanced down at his hooves. "B-but...I'm sure I'll be okay as long as I'm with you, right Usopp? I'm sure you've ridden on tons of big rides!" He said, gazing up at Usopp and beaming.

Usopp glanced down at Chopper, then swallowed. "Uh...er...of course! I, Usopp, am the Master of Carnival Rides!"

He was also the Master of Lying Through His Teeth, as Usopp could honestly say he'd never ridden such crazy contraptions in his life, but Chopper didn't need to know that.

"Really?" Chopper gasped, eyes wide. "Great! Come on, let's go!"

"W-wait, hold on a second!" Usopp turned back to Nami, trying to ignore how heavily he was suddenly sweating. Sure, it was hot, but not _that_ hot. "Er, Nami, when should we meet back?"

The navigator frowned, looking thoughtful for a moment. "Hmm..." She tapped her chin, reaching out absently with her other hand to snatch Sanji's arm before he could wander off in a cloud of hearts towards the gaggle of girls in the other direction. "Well, how does meeting back here after the ceremony sound?"

"Sounds good." Zoro said with a shrug.

"That seems like a fine plan, Navigator-san." Robin drawled.

"A-ah..." Usopp was trying to think of something to keep himself from actually having to ride any carnival rides, but couldn't think of anything.

"Alright then!" Nami said with a smile. "Here's some belli to spend while you're there..." She quickly distributed a few belli bills into Zoro and Usopp's waiting palms. "Now go on, shoo!"

Luffy and Chopper didn't need to be told twice. With similar whoops both rushed off in opposite directions, Zoro and Usopp in tow.

Nami shook her head. "I'm far too lenient with them, I swear, I spoil them so much..." She murmured, though she was smiling.

"Nami-san is so generous!" Sanji cooed, as the girls apparently out of sight now and thus forgotten.

The navigator rolled her eyes before turning her attention to Robin. "Would you like to come with us, Robin?"

"No, thank you for the offer though." The dark-haired woman declined with a shake of her head. "I have some things I'd like to do, and I'm sure you and Cook-san would much rather enjoy the festival."

Nami frowned. "Are you sure?"

Robin smiled and nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. Now go on and enjoy the festivities."

"Robin-chan is so generous!" Sanji said in a singsong tone before turning to Nami. "Shall we, my sweet?" He asked, offering his arm to her.

The navigator rolled her eyes and pushed his arm away, though she was still smiling in spite herself. "Yes, Sanji-kun, let's go. Have fun, Robin!" She called over her shoulder as the two turned and walked towards the festival together.

Robin chuckled to herself before turning back towards the city. "Indeed...I think a trip down memory lane may serve me well..." She murmured before vanishing into the crowd.

Sanji and Nami made their way through the crowds, observing the sights and sounds. Or rather, Nami was observing the carnival. Sanji seemed mildly interested, but he seemed more content to observe the many females going _to_ the carnival. Nami would often point something of interest out and half the time Sanji would take note, but the other half of the time he seemed to completely miss what was said in favor of a pretty girl.

Nami eventually paused under the shade of one of the carnival stands, fanning herself with her hand. It was incredibly hot that day, and the sun beat down upon her without mercy. Granted, it wasn't as bad as Alabasta, but she was getting quite hot and rather thirsty.

Sanji frowned, brow furrowing in concern. "Are you alright, my sweet?"

The navigator nodded as she fanned herself again. "Yes, yes, I'm fine, it's just hot, that's all."

"Ah! I shall get a parasol to shade your beautiful face from the sun's unforgiving rays!" The chef declared, making as if to go do just that.

"No, no, that's fine." Nami said, waving her hand in a dismissive manner. "But..." She added, fluttering her eyelashes. "I certainly wouldn't mind an ice cold drink..."

"Anything for you, Nami-san!" Sanji crowed before heading off towards a nearby lemonade stand in a flurry of hearts.

The navigator shook her head, though her eyes twinkled with amusement. Really, it was amazing how much control she had over the chef. She could ask him to throw himself into the ocean if she wanted, and he probably would really do it, too! In all honesty, she'd be lying if she said it didn't make her feel at least a bit special. She had never had someone who had been willing to do so much for her in entire life, it was really amazing.

Nami smiled to herself as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, watching as the chef accepted the tall glass of lemonade with a nod, though he looked a bit sad that it was not his own concoction that was to be giving the navigator. However, since he couldn't exactly make anything for her out here, it would have to do.

He turned and made as if to head back to her...and was then promptly distracted by a young lady in a cute jean miniskirt walking past. The chef's eye promptly turned into a heart and he rushed over, getting down on one knee and taking her hand to kiss it.

Nami watched this, brow furrowing slightly. There he went again...sure, he treated her like a queen and constantly showered her with love and affection, but he did that with every pretty girl he laid eyes on. That hardly made her any more special than the rest of them. She knew it was petty, but she sort of wished the chef would stop. She truly appreciated his attentions...but she wished he would just focus them on _her_, not every pretty thing he laid eyes upon.

Was that the only reason he did it? Because she was a pretty face? Was that all?

She sighed as she watched the other girl smack the chef away from her and continue on. Sanji looked heartbroken for all of a few seconds, but then he remembered the lemonade in his hands and promptly brightened and continued on his way once more.

"Here you are, my lovely lady." He said, offering the drink to her with a flourishing bow.

Nami took it was a smile and a nod. "Ah, perfect! Thank you, Sanji-kun!" She said before taking a sip. "Mm, this is good...your drinks are better, though."

"You're very welcome, Nami-san." Sanji said with a nod before turning away and doing an odd sort of dance. "Nami-san _complimented_ me!"

The navigator laughed at this, taking another sip of her lemonade before taking Sanji's arm and beginning to drag him along. "Come on Sanji-kun, let's move on."

"_Mellorine!_"

"Step right up! Step right up! Do you have what it takes to win one of these one-of-a-kind plushies? All you have to do is knock down these three bottles with this here ball! That's right, just these three bottles!" A young woman at one of the booths called out, trying to get them to play her game.

Nami paused, gazing up at the booth. Her eyes finally settled on a small, fuzzy orange cat plush. "Awww, it's so cute!" She gasped, pointing at it.

"Beauty, ain't it? That's a one of a kind plush, there. Probably worth quite a few belli, if I do say so myself." The girl working at the booth said.

"Is that so? And what's a dazzling beauty like yourself doing trying to give them away as prizes?" Sanji inquired, leaning towards her a bit and flashing a charming smile.

The girl giggled. "Oh, you know, just trying to earn a bit of extra money, that's all." She said, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder as she spoke.

"I see..." Sanji said, stroking his chin. "What a shame, a lovely lady like yourself deserves far better conditions, especially on a day like today."

"Oh, I'm fine. Don't worry about me!" The girl said, waving her hand nonchalantly.

Nami watched this all with narrowed eyes for a moment before slamming her palm down on the counter. "The plushie's worth some money, right?"

The girl seemed a bit startled, but she smiled anyway. "Yes, that's right."

"And it's certainly cute..." Nami suddenly turned and took hold of Sanji's arm, batting her eyelashes. "Oh, Sanji-kun? Could you win it for me?"

The cook's visible eye promptly turned into a heart. "Anything for you, Nami-swaaaaaaan!"

The girl at the counter chuckled, shaking her head. "Well, if you want to, it's a hundred belli a pop." Sanji quickly forked over the belli coins and the girl placed a softball in his hand, then stepped aside to reveal the three milk bottles stacked up behind her. "Don't worry if you don't get it the first try, it's tougher than it looks." She warned.

Sanji nodded, then stared at the pins for a moment, concentrating. Then he pulled his arm back, tensed, and threw the ball with all his might.

BANG! All three bottles were knocked away with a clatter of glass, the ball's momentum carrying it far enough to hit the back wall. The girl stared in shock for a moment, then threw back her head and laughed.

"Wow! Where'd you learn to throw like that, Sanji-kun?" Nami asked, her eyes widening.

The cook grinned. "Just because I'm not that stupid Long Nose doesn't mean I have bad aim." He said as he took a cigarette from his pocket and lit it in one fluid motion.

The girl who was running the booth laughed and applauded. "Well, great job! I'd say you definitely earned this!" She said, reaching up to take down the orange cat plush and hand it to Sanji.

"Thank you, my dear." Sanji nodded as he took it before turning to Nami and offering it to her. "A gift to a lady whom I know is far more graceful than any cat and ten times more beautiful." He said with a smile.

"Oh, Sanji-kun..." Nami murmured, reaching out to take the plushie and hug it. It felt soft and warm in her hands, the sun-warmed orange fur feeling nice against her arms. "It's so adorable, I love it! Thank you, Sanji-kun."

The girl at the booth smiled. "Well, glad to see you like it. Now you two get going, I've got more customers!" She said, motioning for them to move on.

Both Sanji and Nami nodded. "Yes, thank you for the game and the plushie, miss. Have a nice day!" Nami said, grabbing Sanji's arm and dragging him along before he could do anything more than offer a similar goodbye over his shoulder.

"You too. Enjoy the rest of the festival!" The girl called after them.

Nami continued dragging Sanji along, hugging the toy to her chest with her other arm. "Well Sanji-kun, that was..." She trailed off as she glanced over at the cook, feeling her heart sink as she realized he was still looking back at the girl at the booth.

The navigator frowned for a moment, and then tugged on Sanji's arm in an attempt to get his attention. "Sanji-kun?"

"Ah, yes, Nami-san?" Sanji asked, glancing down at her.

Nami squeezed the cat plush to her chest, biting her lip for a moment. It was stupid, it really was, she shouldn't even be asking! But she had to know.

"What do I mean to you?"

The cook stood there for a moment, blinking. "Ah, Nami-san! To me, you are my Goddess! My life! Without you, where would my purpose for living be? The world is only sweet because your beauty is here to shine over the earth! You--"

"You say that to every girl that you meet, Sanji." Nami said, cutting him off. The cook paused, apparently unsure of what to say to that, so the navigator continued. "You always say that. So how do I know you're serious when you say that to me?" She bit her lip, looking away from him.

"Am I just a pretty face to you like the rest of them?"

Sanji stood there in shock for a moment. Then he shook his head looking pained. "Oh, no, Nami-san...I..I never, ever thought of you as just a pretty face." He said, all trace of his singsong tone gone. He reached down to take one of her hands in both of his, just as he had the other day. "Please, Nami-san, you have to believe me...I know I say those things to a lot of girls, but to you...it's different." He murmured, gazing down at her.

Nami kept her eyes trained to the ground, focused on the dirty bricks and concrete that made up the road.

"Nami-san...please, look at me." The chef pleaded. After a few seconds of silence the navigator tentatively gazed up into Sanji's eyes, honey-brown meeting sapphire.

"Nami-san...I know I say a lot of things to other girls...but to you I can honestly say, without a doubt, that you mean everything to me. If I could, I would give you the whole world if only to see you smile. Even if I had to lay my life down for you, I would without a second thought, because I cannot imagine a world without you. Please, believe me when I say...my love for you...is greater than anything."

The ginger-haired navigator stared up at him for a moment, eyes searching. Then she gave a small smile. "Really?"

The cook smiled back. "I swear it."

Nami sighed, closing her eyes. It felt as if a great weight had just been lifted from her heart, finally cast away. "Alright. I believe you."

Sanji grinned around his cigarette. "Thank you, Nami-san." He said with a small bow.

The navigator giggled, reaching out and hooking her arm in Sanji's. "Right then, let's check out the rest of this carnival! I'm sure there has to be something of interest in this dump!"

"Yes, Nami-san!"

---

"Wow, that was so much fun!" Chopper exclaimed as he and Usopp stumbled off of the Tilt-A-Whirl, nearly bumping into each other as they did so. The reindeer's pink hat was off kilter, and he was wearing an excited, but dazed sort of expression.

"Y-yeah...fun..." Usopp mumbled. While Chopper looked excited, Usopp looked like he was only just recovering from a shock of sheer terror. His normally olive-toned skin was rather pale, his eyes wide, and he would twitch on occasion.

Finally Chopper shook his head to clear it and adjusted his hat, laughing. "I don't think I've ever had this much fun in my life! Isn't this great, Usopp?" He asked, beaming up at the sharpshooter.

"Ah-ah...yeah..." Usopp groaned, looking slightly green and still dizzy.

The reindeer frowned. "Usopp? Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, of course, don't worry about me!" Usopp said with a weak laugh, clutching at his stomach.

"You look sick. You should sit down." The reindeer said, reaching up to take the boy's hand and lead him over to the bench. Usopp collapsed onto it with a groan, still shaking.

Chopper sat down next to the sniper and pulled off his blue backpack. "Are you feeling nauseous?" He asked, glancing over at Usopp worriedly.

The sharpshooter gave a weak nod and Chopper dug into the pack for a moment before pulling out two pills and placing them in Usopp's palm. "Here, take those."

Usopp swallowed the pills with a groan, and then fell back again.

Chopper sighed. "I thought you said you were the Master of Carnival Rides, Usopp! Why are you getting sick?"

The sharpshooter glanced down at Chopper for a moment before giving a nervous laugh. "I am! Don't get me wrong, I _love_ carnival rides! I must've just eaten too much at breakfast, that's all."

"Oh...well, okay! Once you're feeling better we can go ride some more rides!" Chopper said, beaming up at Usopp. The marksman flashed a weak grin in return, though mentally he was praying he'd get lucky and Chopper's medicine wouldn't work _too_ fast...

The two sat in silence for awhile before Chopper suddenly hopped off of the bench. Usopp glanced down at him questioningly. "I have to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back." The reindeer explained.

He walked a few feet ahead before pausing and glancing around. "But where _is_the bathroom?" He wondered aloud.

Chopper looked around for a few seconds, and then his ears suddenly pricked up as he caught the sound of someone clearing his throat. He turned around to see a man, or at least he thought it was a man, standing before him. The man was clad in a tall, gray trenchcoat, and Chopper couldn't quite make out his face from behind his collar and under the shadow of his hat. The reindeer blinked up at the man for a moment, his blue nose twitching. This guy smelled sort of familiar...

"You're looking for the bathrooms?" He asked in a quiet, raspy sort of voice.

"Oh, um, yes." Chopper said, nodding quickly.

The man stared at him for a moment; then gestured between two booths to an alleyway. "Go down that alleyway until you find a big, metal door. Turn that way, you'll find them."

"Thanks, mister!" Chopper chirped before scurrying off.

The man did not reply, he simply vanished back into the crowd.

Usopp saw the entire thing, blinking. "Well, that was kind of weird..." He commented, glancing around. "I could have sworn earlier I heard the bathrooms were in the...other...direction... He trailed off, blinking as he glanced over his shoulder. Just beyond a few booths was a sign that said "Restrooms", pointing in the exact opposite direction that Chopper had headed.

"Crap..." Usopp muttered before getting to his feet and running after the reindeer into the alleyway.

"Oi, Chopper, wait up! You're going the wrong way! Chopper!"

---

"Okay, let's see here...hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries, pretzels, funnel cake...yeah, I think I got it all." Zoro muttered as he glanced over all the food in his arms. They were considerably heavy compared to his now very light wallet. Luffy had wanted every single bit of fattening junk food they sold at the carnival, and Zoro had worried if he let the boy run off and get it on his own he'd get lost. Thus, the swordsman had told the boy to wait at one of the benches while he got everything.

That had been five minutes ago, and the swordsman was already in a bit of a hurry to get back. Most who didn't know Luffy would figure he'd need more than five minutes to get into trouble, but Zoro _did_ know Luffy and knew five minutes was more than enough time for the boy to cause plenty of havoc. He wouldn't have even have to move, Luffy just _standing_ there could cause complete chaos without really trying.

Thus, when he returned to the bench only to find Luffy gone, he wasn't surprised. That didn't stop the stab of panic from going through him. "Shit..." Zoro cursed. Luffy wandering off was practically an everyday occurrence...but in s crowd _this_ size? He wouldn't see the kid again until the week was over, if at all!

The swordsman scanned the crowds, hoping to catch a glimpse of the boy's fabled straw hat or a hint of his trademark bright red vest. Unfortunately, it seemed no matter where he looked, Luffy was no where to be seen.

"Damnit! Where the hell did he-- GAH!" Zoro let out a cry as someone suddenly tackled him from behind, nearly sending all the food in his arms flying as he stumbled forward.

"Food!" The human barnacle that had just attached itself to him squealed, one arm stretching from where it had been hooked around Zoro's waist to grab some of the food.

However, just before he could, Zoro reached behind him to grab hold of Luffy's shirt. "Get...off of me!" Zoro snapped as he tugged the boy loose and shoved him in front of him, his angry glare meeting Luffy's confused gaze.

The two stared at each other for a moment before Luffy burst into laughter. "Zoro's so uptight!" He laughed, again reaching for the food. The swordsman slapped his hand away and the boy yelped, cradling his now smarting hand and giving Zoro a betrayed look, "What the hell, Zoro?"

"Where the hell were you? I told you to stay here." Zoro growled.

"I was-- ow, come on Zoro! -- hiding-- ack, Zoro, that hurt!-- so I could surprise you when you-- AHA!-- came back." Luffy said, his explanation broken here and there by his yelps as he attempted to steal some food. On a final try he swiped one of the hot dogs and gave a triumphant cry before stuffing the food into his mouth. "Yuuum..."

The swordsman scowled at him for another moment. "Luffy...gah, don't do that again, alright? I was worried." He said as Luffy munched noisily on the food.

"Uh huh. Yeah, sure Zoro." Luffy said through a mouthful of food before reaching for more.

Zoro caught his wrist before he could try, staring pointedly into the boys eyes. "I mean it. No wandering off here, okay? There are a lot of people here and I don't want you getting lost." '_I don't think I'd be able to survive this entire week if you weren't here' _he mentally added, but outright refused to say out loud.

It was true though, this week seemed like it was going to be bad enough. The thought of spending it without Luffy there, the thought of losing the boy...well, he certainly wasn't keen on the idea, that was for sure.

The boy stared back at Zoro for a moment before beaming and nodding. "Don't worry, I'll be good! I'll stay close to Zoro!" He chirped.

Zoro sighed. "Good." He muttered, releasing the boy's wrist and sitting down on the bench. He wisely set down the food mere seconds before Luffy made a grab for it. Only by some miracle did he manage to salvage a single hot dog for himself!

The two sat in silence for awhile, Luffy wolfing down his food at an inhuman speed that drew a few spectators until Zoro's glare convinced them that they had other places to be. Soon enough Luffy had finished all the food and was licking his lips.

"Gone already? I'm still hungry!" The boy whined, turning to the swordsman with pleading eyes.

Zoro snorted. "Big surprise. Not much I can do about that though, that was the last of the money that Nami gave us."

"Really? Awwwww, no fair!" Luffy pouted, folding his arms before him and huffing. Zoro could only watch him for a moment before throwing back his head and laughing. Honestly, his captain was such a little kid!

Luffy's pout deepened. "What's so funny?" He demanded.

The swordsman laughed again, shaking his head. He reached up to knock the straw hat from Luffy's head for a moment and ruffled his captain's hair, laughing even harder at the resulting yelp and swat at his arm. "Your face." He explained finally, pointing at the boys pout. Luffy blinked, then grinned and laughed himself.

The two laughed for another moment before Zoro got to his feet. "Right, I have to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back." He paused, fixing Luffy with a stern glare. "Don't move."

Luffy beamed. "Don't worry, I won't!"

The swordsman nodded, then left

Luffy remained on the bench, humming to himself and kicking his legs up in the air, apparently amused by the slapping noise his sandals made. He gazed up at the blue sky, the multi-colored carnival booths, the rides, the ground, everything! It was all so cool!

However, after a minute or so the excitement wore off and Luffy was left sitting on the bench, shoulders slumped, tapping his feet impatiently on the ground. This wasn't fair, he wanted to go explore, not sit here! "This is _so_ boring!" He whined dramatically. "Why's Zoro taking so long?"

The boy sighed, falling back against the bench. "Man, I'm still hungry...if only I could eat just a bit more." He mumbled.

And then, he saw it. Like an answer for his prayers there it was, a ton of food, sitting out on another bench! There wasn't anyone there watching it either, it was just sitting there!

Luffy's eyes widened, his mouth widening. Food! And it was sitting right there, all ready for him to eat it! All he had to do was go get it! The boy was already halfway out of his seat before he remembered his promise. His grin faltered.

No, he had promised. He had to stay here until Zoro came back.

But there was food, right there! All he had to do was go get it and come right back!

No, Zoro said to stay on the bench. Hell, he told Luffy to not even _move_!

But he'd only be a few seconds, and it wasn't like it was that far!

No, Zoro said stay. Zoro said he could get lost in this crowd.

But if he didn't go get the food, someone else might get it!

Zoro!

Food!

The boy sat there for a few moments, mentally warring with himself. However, as he did this, a group of guys dressed in dark blue were walking towards it, carrying more food. Luffy's eyes widened. Those guys were going to take his food, and they already had some too! Those greedy jerks!

His mind made up, Luffy charged through the crowd with a roar. "FOOOOOD!" He cried, quite nearly running over a few terrified children in his effort to get to the snacks. He finally rushed right past the guys in blue and slammed into the bench, inhaling it like a vacuum.

In mere seconds the food was gone and Luffy was actually full. The boy fell back against the bench with a happy sigh, patting his belly. "Mmm!"

"Oi, kid, what the hell?"

Luffy glanced up to see the guys in blue standing over him, looking cross. The boy blinked, sitting up. "Oi, hi there!" He chirped, giving a wave.

One of the guys scowled, stepping forward, his silvery hair done up in a spike that looked quite a bit like a shark's fin He was tall and rather thin, his entire body seeming rather angular in design. "Don't 'hi there' me! You stole our food!" He snarled, the teeth in his mouth actually looking as if they were pointed. The other guys gave murmurs of agreement.

Luffy blinked again, looking confused. "But...you already have food!" He pointed out, gesturing to the food they were already carrying. "This stuff was just sitting here."

Silver Hair scowled. "Yeah, 'cause we left it there! That was ours!"

Luffy blinked again. "Oh. Well, why didn't you say so?"

"We _did_ say so! You weren't listening!" Silver Hair snapped.

"Oh...well, sorry about that!" The boy said with a sheepish laugh, scratching his head.

Silver Hair glared at him for a moment. Then, without warning he reached down and grabbed hold of the front of the boy's shirt and hauled the boy to his feet so they were nose to nose. Luffy yelped as he stared back into the man's black eyes, which were narrowed with rage.

"Sorry's not gonna cut it, smartass. _No one_ steals from the Superior Ocean Three gang and gets away with it." He growled.

"Superior Ocean Three?" Luffy repeated, blinking. Before he got the chance to say anymore the man pulled back a fist and slammed it into the boys jaw, sending him skidding across the pavement with a yelp of pain.

"Good one, Sqaulo!" One of other guys called out.

The silver-haired man, or rather, Sqaulo, smirked. "You better believe it. A little kid like you obviously needs to be taught a lesson about who's in charge here." He drawled.

Luffy grit his teeth and got to his feet, fingering his now tender jaw for a moment.

"Awww, what's wrong? Did that hurt?" Sqaulo sneered, letting out a harsh laugh that the others mimicked. However, his laugh was cut short as Luffy's fist suddenly met his face, this time sending _him_ flying back. The Superior Ocean Three and the spectators that had gathered gaped as Sqaulo skidded to the pavement.

Luffy stood there, fist raised, a fierce grin on his face. "If it's a fight you want, there's no way you're gonna beat me that easily."

Sqaulo got to his feet, a twisted, shark-like grin on his face. "Well now...this is interesting! Been awhile since we had some meat that fought back for real!" As he spoke his skin began harden and gray, his entire body beginning to bulge outward as his head transformed into a triangular shape, his eyes moving to opposite sides of his head. He opened his mouth as his teeth grew into huge, sharp jaws.

"_Same Same no Mi, Model: Tigershark!_" Sqaulo called out, still grinning with his now monstrous fangs.

Luffy stared at him for a moment, cocking his head to the side. "A shark man? Pretty neat, but I've already fought a real merman before. You're nothing new." He said with a confident grin, sliding into his fighting stance.

"Kehehe, you think so?" Sqaulo sneered." You think an ordinary human like you can take the power of a shark?"

Luffy just grinned.

The rest of the gang spread out into a circle around them, keeping the rest of the crowd back. Most were watching with wides, too stunned to say anything, while others were yelling. Not that it really mattered to Luffy, what mattered now was this challenge.

Finally, after staring each other down for awhile, Sqaulo charged. "_Hitokuchi_!" He called out, diving for Luffy and aiming to take a chunk out of the boy's side.

Or at least, that was what he was aiming for. He never quite got there, as Luffy stretched his fist backwards. It extended far, far behind him, the astonished crowd parting for it as it stretched past _them. "Gomu Gomu no..."_ With a snap, Luffy released his fist and let it fly forward, sending it slamming into Sqaulo's shark nose.

Sqaulo let out a cry as he was flung backwards to land on the pavement again, the crowd's cheers following his landing. Luffy let his arm snap back to his side and grinned. "I'm no ordinary human! And even then, I know plenty of them who could kick your ass easily!"

The shark man groaned as he sat up, clutching at his bleeding face, eyes wide. Evidentially he had _not_ expected this. "W...what are you?" He gasped.

The boy grinned, cracking his knuckles. "I ate the _Gomu Gomu no Mi_! I'm a rubber man!" He explained, sliding back into his fighting stance again.

Sqaulo grit his teeth as he got to his feet. "Is that so? You've got a lot of nerve, punk." He sneered, a grin on his face. "I'm gonna enjoy tearing you apart. What's your name?"

Luffy grinned. "Me? I'm Monkey D. Luffy, the man who's gonna be Pirate King!" He declared.

"That so?" Sqaulo laughed, and the rest of his gang laughed with him. "Well--" He then suddenly paused, blinking. "One second." He said, holding up a finger before digging a miniature Den Den Mushi out of his pocket.

"Yeah?" He asked, holding up the tiny snail.

"Sqaulo, where the hell are you! You were supposed to be back half and hour ago, what the hell?" The Den Den Mushi screamed, making the shark man flinch.

"Ah ah...sorry, Kraken-sama." Sqaulo said carefully. "We got...ah...held up. Some little brat stole our food and--"

"I don't fucking care who stole your stupid food! You were supposed to be here!" The snail snarled. "So stop lazing around and get over here now!"

"Right away, sir!" Sqaulo stuttered, shoving the snail into his pocket. He glanced back at Luffy, whom looked quite confused. "Right...well, I suppose we'll have to finish this at another time, shrimp." He said as he shriveled back into his human form.

Luffy shrugged. "Kay."

"Er...alright..uh...come on boys, let's move!" Sqaulo called out. The other gang members gave yells of agreement and followed as the shark man turned tail and ran, leaving Luffy and the rest of the crowd standing there in the middle of the street.

Luffy stood there for a moment, looking confused. Then, finally, he cocked his head to the side and spoke. "Whaaaaaa?"

It was then that Zoro suddenly pushed his way through the crowd. His eyes widened as he finally caught sight of Luffy standing in the middle of the street, back to him. "Luffy?" He called out, relief flooding over him as he jogged over to the boy.

The rubber pirate blinked and turned around, then beamed and waved. "Hey Zoro!"

Zoro came to a stop in front of the boy, glancing over him quickly. Upon seeing Luffy was fine, Zoro felt his relief slide away in favor of annoyance. "Where have you been? I've been looking everywhere!" He growled, fixing Luffy with a glare. "You told me you were going to stay put."

Luffy blinked, then gave a nervous laugh and scratched the back of his head. "Oh yeah! Sorry Zoro, I kinda forgot. There was food and I was hungry and there were these weird shark guys and--"

"Damnit, Luffy!" Zoro hissed, cutting him off. "That's the second time today."

The boy bit his lip. "Yeah, I know, but--"

"Didn't you hear me when I told you that there were a lot of people here? It's only by some crazy chance that I managed to find you again!" Zoro snapped.

Luffy stepped back, a bit taken aback, but he smiled anyway. "What does it matter? You found me, didn't you? I knew you would, so I wasn't worried."

The swordsman sputtered at this, blinking. "But...Luffy...gah, you aren't getting it!" He growled, gritting his teeth in frustration. "What if I couldn't find you, huh? What then? This place is huge and there are tons of people. What if you got hurt? No one would be there to help you! What then?"

Luffy stared at him for a moment, brow furrowing. "Well..." He trailed off, biting his lip. He hadn't really thought of that.

Zoro sighed, shaking his head. "Exactly. You have to be careful." He said, folding his arms.

His captain sighed. "Yeah, I guess so. But why does it matter so much? You found me, isn't that good enough?"

The swordsman rolled his eyes. "We've already been through this, I--"

"It always used to be good enough. So why's now suddenly so different?" Luffy asked, cocking his head to the side.

Zoro paused, blinking. "Well...there's a lot of people and..." He trailed off, frowning. Why _did_ he care so much? Why did it matter so much to him that Luffy not get hurt? Yes, that had always been important...but not quite so strongly, not like this. This was different, somehow.

The swordsman grit his teeth. "It...it's just different, alright?" He snapped, frustrated at his own inability to answer. He let out a growl and grabbed Luffy's wrist, beginning to drag him through the crowd. "Come on already."

Luffy yelped as he was suddenly dragged along, staring at the back of Zoro's suddenly very tense shoulders. _'What's up with him?'_

And so the two made their way through the crowd, a cross Zoro herding a confused Luffy behind him. As they walked, Zoro pondered, and no matter how much he thought on it he couldn't seem to find the answer.

_What's so different now?_

---

**To Be Continued...**

_Ooohh, drama. Yeah, I know you're thrilled._

_Um...yeah. The Legend of the Celestial Maiden is based off of a famous folktale from Japan, Korea, and China, as well as many other countries._

_The story always remains consistent in that a man (a fisherman, farmer, or woodcutter) will find an item belonging to an unearthly maiden (a tennyo, fairy, star fisher, merrow, selkie, etc.) and keeps it. The maiden is not able to return to her world because the man possesses the item (usually a garment) she needs (a celestial robe, a feathered cloak, a hat, a seal-skin... etc) and reluctantly marries him. However, she always recovers the item (often as a result of her children discovering it) and she returns to her world. Sometimes her children from earth will be taken with her and sometimes her husband will join her. Once the maiden returns to her world, she never returns to the earth. (Totally not yoinked from Wikipedia, no-sir-ee...)_

_As you can see, my version is a bit different, esepcially towards the end, but it's case is pretty much the same. Yeah, just so you know. Also, Sqaulo's devil fruit name, Same Same, is of course just the Japanese word for shark. His one attack, Hitokuchi, is just the Japanese word for "bite". Yeah, I suck and am un-creative like that._

_ Yeah. Now you know, cause it's Mike's Super Short Show! (Digi is shot. In the face.)  
_

_Ow...right. Reviews are greatly appreciated!_

**Next Chapter: **_The opening ceremony for the Festival starts, but it ends up being a slightly less than joyous occasion. Find out why the Straw Hats were really invited to the Hatsudoki's next time!_


End file.
